#1 Repair Specialists!
Specializing in repairs and maintenance since 1988!
Fast, Friendly, Honest, Reliable Repairs!
Is your garage door….
Reversing?
Off-Track?
Broken Spring?
Heavy?
Noisy/Jerky?
Something Else?
Why O’Brien?
At O’Brien, we use the highest quality of parts in our repairs such as commercial grade hinges, rollers, cables, and high-lifecycle torsion springs. Our professionally trained technicians will arrived fully-stocked with most name brand parts to perform fast repairs and, most of the time, on-the-spot! Perhaps you simply need maintenance? We’ve got you covered with our tune-up!
Commercial Grade Parts
Fast, Friendly, Informative
Brand-Specific Opener Parts
Comprehensive Warranties
Care For Our Customers, A Company You Can Trust
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to all your questions!
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There are several reasons a door may reverse. Most commonly, there is a problem with the safety sensors of the opener. They may think something is in the way and cause the door to pop back up. You may need an adjustment or replacement of the sensors. Sometimes we see that older sensors become sensitive to the sun’s rays or stop working over time. However, there may be something mechanically happening with the door itself causing it to jam and it will continue to be a problem until that deeper problem is remedied.
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If your garage door is heavy, it is most likely because either the springs are not tensioned properly, they are at the end of their lifecycle and are about to break, one or more is already broken, or the wrong springs are on the door (rare). Your garage door should be fairly light to the touch when opening. While the garage doors are very heavy themselves, the springs are what do the lifting of the door. If they are in proper working order, the door should lift easily by hand. If the problem is not remedied right away, it will most likely cause severe damage to the automatic opener that is only there to gently assist in the raising and lowering.
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The most common reason a door does not open at all or only a few inches is because the spring is broken. However, there may be other causes such as: there is a problem with the automatic door opener, the cables have come off the drums, the door is getting stuck or jammed because of another issue.
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There are several signalers that your garage door spring may be broken. 1. Visually: you will see that the torsion spring (on top of the door) or extension spring (on the sides of the door) is in two pieces, (not to be confused with two springs.) 2. Sound: when a spring breaks, it will generally make a very loud “pop” noise. 3. Functionality: when a spring is broken, often times, the door will only raise a few inches. It is possible that if you have more than one spring, it may still raise, but may be extra heavy or may have come off track due to the imbalance. It is important to get the spring changed right away for several reasons listed under the next question.
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We strongly advise against operating the garage door with a broken spring and recommend getting it replaced right away. If the spring is broken, it will most likely cause severe damage to the automatic door opener when operated. The opener is only there to gently assist the door in its raising and lowering, it is not meant to carry a heavy load. A broken spring can also cause a door to come off its tracking or the cables to come un-spooled from the drums, possibly resulting in damage to the door. This is due to the imbalance of the system.
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If the spring is not broken but near the end of its lifecycle, it may be a good idea to change it before it breaks so that you do not run into a situation of being stuck inside or outside of the garage or the door being thrown off its tracking.
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If you have a two spring system and only one spring is broken, it is a good idea to change the second spring at the same time. The reason is, they were most likely installed at the same time, have the same lifecycle, and the second one will probably break soon as well. If a second visit is required, there will be additional trip and labor fees that would have been included on the first visit. If you have one spring and are considering changing to two, it can be a good idea to help add extra back-up support to the lifting system.
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We love quiet garage doors! There are several ways you can reduce noise.
1. Performing a comprehensive tune-up that will cover lubrication, tightening hinges, bolts, and screws.
2. Changing the rollers to high-lifecycle, steel ball-bearing, nylon coated rollers for smooth and quieter operation.
3. Changing the automatic opener to a “whisper” belt drive opener. The combination of these 3 work wonders! But even the first 2 can reduce noise quite a bit.
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We highly recommend that a professional perform most major repairs on your system aside from basic lubrication and maintenance. The system carries a tremendous amount of weight, torque, and pressure and may result in serious injury if not worked on properly with the proper tools and experience.
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We often see tracks and moving parts rust over time. We recommend keeping salt and any chemicals stored a good distance away from the tracking to help slow down this process.
Repair Services
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If you are looking for general maintenance or to reduce noise with your system, a tune-up may be perfect! Our tune up includes lubrication, tightening hinges, bolts, and screws, checking the entire system for proper functioning, answering any questions you may have, and offering guidance. Pairing a tune-up with a roller change out may substantially reduce noise and help the system roll more smoothly. Our rollers are steel, ball bearing, with a nylon coating for smooth/quiet operation. Lastly, if you are looking to upgrade your automatic door opener, the “whisper” belt drive units are super quiet!
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It is imperative that the door and springs are properly balanced at all times. If not, it can cause severe damage to the automatic door opener, throw the door off track, or cause damage to the door itself. If the springs are losing tension and not lifting the door properly, they can be re-tensioned. However, they may be losing tension for a reason, such as: they are near the end of their lifecycle and need to be replaced. If they are close to breaking, they may even break while doing the re-tension or shortly after.
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A garage door off track is one of our most common repairs. Our technicians will arrive ready to quickly put the door back on its track and make sure that all of the other components are properly balanced. They will make sure the cables are respooled properly onto the drums, the springs are balanced and tensioned properly, and the door itself is sitting straight and will continue to operate straight.
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Is your garage door reversing? Perhaps your remotes, keypad, or wall button has stopped working? Need your cars reprogrammed to your opener? Our technicians will arrive fully stocked with many brand-specific parts such as Genie, LiftMaster, and Chamberlain to get you up and running with a quality repair. We carry remote controls, keypads, wall switches, limit switches, circuit boards, safety sensors, gears, sprockets, and more! We will be ready to diagnose the problem, repair it on the spot in most cases, or give guidance on whether it makes sense to replace the opener or not.
Should I replace my opener instead? Consider if…
· The opener is older and will be needing costly repairs frequently
· The cost of repair is close to or higher than a new opener
· You were already looking to upgrade your opener for noise reduction or advanced technological and safety features
· If replacement parts are no longer available
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Do you visibly see that your spring is broken in two? Perhaps you do not see a broken spring, but your door only lifts partly or not at all? These are key signs of a broken spring which is one of our most common repairs because, inevitably, in time, garage door springs will break. Perhaps your spring is not broken yet but the door is extremely heavy? Since the springs are what do the lifting of your garage door, so it is imperative that they are in good working order to avoid damage to the system such as throwing it off track or stripping out the automatic door opener. At O’Brien, our professionally trained technicians will install high-lifecycle commercial grade torsion springs for the longevity of your system.
FAQ’s:
· Should I replace the spring if it is not broken yet? If the spring is near the end of its lifecycle, it may not be lifting the door well, causing it to be heavy, which can create damage to the automatic door opener. If you change it before breaking, it can also prevent being stuck in or out of the garage when it breaks because the door may not lift. A broken spring can also cause the cables to come off the drums causing a door off track or other damage.
· Should I replace the spring on my own? We highly recommend hiring a professional to change the spring out. The doors carry a tremendous amount of torque and pressure that may result in serious injury if not trained properly and working with the proper tools.
· Should I have one spring or two changed? If you have two springs but only one is broken, we always recommend changing the second as well. Chances are, the springs were installed at the same time, have the same lifecycle, and the second may break soon, resulting in another service call and installation fee.
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Over time, the crucial moving parts of your system may become rusted, weak, or brittle. We consider these crucial parts to be the most important part of your garage door system. We carry high-quality steel, commercial-grade replacement hardware parts for optimal performance and the longevity of your system. Our professionally trained technicians will come stocked with most parts such as rollers, drums, tracks, cables, hinges, pulleys, torsion tubes, struts, and more!
Rollers: rollers are one of the most important parts of your garage door when it comes to smooth, reliable operation. In time, they may become weak or brittle and will need to be changed out. Since they get the most action when the door is in motion, it is imperative they are in great shape. We carry a very high-quality roller: steel ball bearing with a nylon coating for smooth/durable/quiet operation.
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Do you have damage to your door, but it is limited to one panel or section? Do you prefer to change only the section instead of replacing the whole door? We’ve got you covered! As long as the model door you have is still in production, we can normally get a replacement panel ordered and installed for you. We can send technician out to take a look at the size, make, model, and color, or if you have these details, you may contact our door specialist team for some general pricing.
When you might choose a new door instead:
· The door has faded over the years and the color of the new panel may not match
· More than one panel is damaged (cost may start getting close to a new door)
· The particular model of panel is no longer in production
· You are looking to upgrade your door for functionality or style
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Do you have some gaps at the bottom of the door or around the perimeter that are allowing the elements and/or critters into the garage? This may be solved with perimeter vinyl trim or bottom weatherstripping. We carry a wide variety of colors for perimeter weather seal and styles for bottom seal. Please note: if a foundation issue is causing the gapping, this problem will most likely need to be fixed before adding trim will offer any benefit.
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No problem! At O’Brien, we specialize in repairs, including unique situations. We understand that there are an abundance of potential garage door and opener problems, far too many to list under our services tab. We make it our mission to diagnose and help solve your garage door or opener problem and get you up and running as quickly as possible, no matter how unique your situation is!
“O'Brien Garage door company was great. Staff were friendly, booked an appointment quickly and communicated frequently any possible changes. The technician was friendly, explained things thoroughly, and did efficient, clean work. The job was completed quickly with no mess left behind.”
- Angela C.
“The Technician was very knowledgeable, professional and honest. My spring broke so I ask to change the main garage opener also because it was very loud when the garage door opened. The technician said the issue wasn't the opener it was the door itself and fixed it. Saved me over $700 on a new opener and it's as quiet as a mouse now. Thanks. Awesome service!”
- Cee
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